This invention is in the field of devices for stabilizing liquids and preventing build-up of scale within liquid systems. In various types of fluid systems including those designed to convey oil and/or water, undesirable scale build-up occurs within the pipes as well as any mechanisms located within the conveyance system. Water which contains dissolved calcium, referred to as "hard water", can cause major maintenance problems in a home as well as add substantially to the operating cost of the home. Further, hard water that is not conditioned increases the difficulty of washing clothes requiring both more soap and fabric softener. A variety of other problems exist in the home with hard water such as bathtubs and toilet bowls being difficult to keep clean, dishwashers that do not operate effectively as well as skin irritation. To solve these aforementioned problems, most households are equipped with water softeners that are either purchased or leased.
Technology developed in the 1960's provides a better alternative to the utilization of a water softener at a substantially lower price. Such a water conditioning system utilizes a stabilizer bar which is in contact with the untreated water. The bar is mounted directly in the hard water stream causing a restriction of flow and a small pressure drop. Calcium within the water adjacent the bar is attracted to precipitate on the bar because the surface of the bar duplicates the crystal form that the calcium would naturally assume when it precipitates. As a result, tiny "calcite" seeds form on the bar surface. Some of these seeds are flushed off the bar by the force of the flowing water. The seeds are very stable and very active in their need to grow larger and as a result, they attract calcium in the environment to achieve the growth. The result is a natural water that is not changed chemically, but is physically altered so that it lathers better and tastes better. This entirely natural phenomenon is referred to as "epitaxial nucleation". The practical result is that the high particle activity eliminates lime formation in the pipes and mechanisms associated with the pipes thereby gradually eliminating existing lime deposits in the water system.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,448,034 issued to Craft, et al. discloses a stabilizing element having a core arranged essentially within a housing which provides a flow conduit for various liquids. The liquids contact the stabilizing core resulting in polarization of the liquids thereby preventing precipitation of minerals within the liquid from being deposited on the tubing walls. A similar device shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,486,999 issued to Craft discloses an apparatus for preventing scale formation in water systems which includes an anodic core in contact with the water thereby polarizing the water and eliminating the precipitation of salts therefrom.
The prior water or liquid treatment systems utilizing a treatment bar as contrasted to a water softening type of device typically require a relatively long length of outlet pipe extending aft of the treatment bar. Such a length of outlet pipe, for example 30 feet, provides sufficient time for the water to react after passing over the bar to achieve the anti-scale result. In relatively small buildings, the requirement for the 30 feet of pipe is burdensome and undesirable. Disclosed herein is a water treatment system which utilizes a 11/2 gallon container having the treatment bar located therein. The size of the container is sufficient to eliminate the necessity of an extensive length of pipe aft of the treatment bar.
The prior devices have a further disadvantage in that the treatment bar is typically mounted within a pipe requiring extensive effort for the removal of the treatment bar during periodic cleaning and maintenance. Such a treatment bar must be periodically cleaned at least on a monthly basis to remove surface build-up and to provide a fresh bar surface for contact with the incoming untreated liquid. Disclosed herein is a water treatment device which is designed to allow very quick and easy removal of the treatment bar for cleaning purposes.